The flex wing results.

The rigid wing results.

The Swift result.

The blogs of pilots here:

http://skyout.blogspot.com/

http://www.goflyxc.com/

http://naughtylawyertravels.blogspot.com/

Well, not true, two rigid wings (Johann and Yocom), but not the Swift, make it in.

The preliminary results for the day, show Nene winning, and I think that he did, getting very close to the goal at the Francisco Grande, but I misreported this last time he was supposed to have won, when the results weren't quite right, and there are some scores that need to be reviewed for this day also.

The first thing that was different today is that the winds were relatively light. They were forecasted to be out of the northwest at about 6 to 9 mph. So we called a task to the northwest with a short last leg to the northeast. You can find the task at the links above.

The winds were almost non existent in the launch area which very much kept the dust down, which everyone appreciated. A bunch of pilots were ready to go soon, so it looked like there would be no pilot strike today like there was the day before.

I got in line and got behind a trike. Now I tow behind trikes all the time in Australia, but I've sometimes not had good results in the US. I assume that the trike tow pilots in the US are on average a little less skilled than what I've run into in Australia.

I rolled down the the runway on the cart and a few seconds after I got off the cart the trike shot up into the air way above my head as though the trike pilot was pushing out as though they were flying on their own. They've got to keep the trike pulled in when towing to come up slowly with the towed pilot.

Everyone at launch saw this and thought that I would soon be experiencing a weaklink break. The line was way bowed out and I also thought the weaklink would soon break, but I slowed down the glider and when the rope came tight it was a soft landing and the weaklink didn't break.

This seemed like a rookie trike/tug pilot mistake, and then it happened two more times while I was towing. In addition, I got tossed sideways a couple of times. At that point I pulled that pin. I didn't want the trike pilot to have my death on his/her hands.

I came down, landed next to the launch line and launched again, but this time insisted that I not tow behind a trike, because wouldn't you know it I was lined up to tow behind the same trike again and then the other trike. Rhett came and pulled me up and put me in a nice little thermal right above our heads.

I let Mike Degtoff go before me and take the trike. He got bounced off at less than 300'. He was not the only one to experience the problems with this particular pilot. I hope that they get some training.

Once off it looked at first like the winds were strong out of the north northwest, but it really wasn't that bad. It was just a bit of work to get to the north, way north of the course line, in an effort to get up wind and away from the cultivated land to the west. The first turnpoint was 27 miles to the west northwest.

Only a few pilots are up by the edge of the start cylinder 5 miles out near the first start time. Jonny and Andre were about 500' over me and I was at 6,100'. They started off at the first start time, about seven minutes after it opened and I went with them but below them. A few other pilots went with us but they were much lower. Tyler Borradaile was too low, went north as Jonny and Andre did, didn't find any lift and landed. I saw this and decided to head more westerly instead. Only a few of us took this first start time.

Andre had to cover Jonny, but he felt that it was a big risk taking the first start time, especially seven minutes late, as other pilots could catch them. But going west was difficult and no one was nearby.

Going over the feed lots I was using my nose to check for thermals but didn't find any. I had to work weak thermals off to the side of the feedlots while Jonny and Andre were a couple of miles ahead.

Working carefully and slowly to the northwest I got stuck south of Maricopa and worked whatever I could find. I soon saw the pilots coming from the third clock coming to join me. Andre and Jonny were

It seemed like everyone passed over me as I repeatedly failed to climb high. Finally I ran west low and ended up working a dust devil at 700' AGL. Then another dust devil low, when it turned out that the dust devils just don't produce much lift down low.

I was alone again, while Jonny and Andre were out in front getting the turnpoint and getting to over 7,500'. I spent most of the course under 5,000'. Almost three hours into the race I got to the first turnpoint. Coming up to the first turnpoint I found a three mile line of lift that made it possible to go against the wind without having to spend a lot of time turning.

Jonny and Andre were between the second turnpoint at Maricopa and the third turnpoint at the intersection of I8 and Stanfield road as I rounded the first turnpoint.

After getting the turnpoint everything got better, even as the day got later. The lift smoothed out and it was great to be able to drift down wind with the thermal.

Jonny and Andre landed early. Jonny was racing trying to stay ahead of the folks from the third start time. Andre landed near the third turnpoint at I8.

I heard this and started working the lift I was in as high as I could get. I found a nice thermal half way between Maricopa and I8 and Stanfield road at 5:20. I was hoping that there will be one more thermal before 6 PM.

It was not to be. I did have the pleasure of flying over Andre's head, but Jonny got a little closer to goal than I did. The Jeff's did very well coming in third and fourth.